Hello all,
I have such a hard time sticking to any diet. I have recently rejoined WW for the millionth time, did well week one - followed Core, am sick this week and have eaten "comfort" foods all week. I am still sick today which is my meeting day and not going. I feel like I cannot stick to anything!
I have also recently been diagnosed with hypothyroid, am perimenopausal and 51 - so it seems like it is so hard to get motiviated and keep weight off. My doctor wants me to follow S. Beach instead, so I lean more towards Core program.
Thanks for letting me "vent" - I am just really down on myself not being able to stick to anything.
Thanks - Lynn

hi!

youre not alone! though a litte older than i, i also have hypo and have done this hundreds of time and at an all time emotional low cuz i cant seem to make it stick

Lynn, that's my story too! I have been switching back and forth among plans for years. This past year, I've been (mostly) on Weight Watchers, and even when I'm not rigorously on plan, I've internalized the rules to the point where I'm aware of the healthy habits. Not only have my choices improved, but I've actually lost a little weight this year. Not nearly enough, but a lot more than when I bounced around among plans -- THAT made me gain 5 or 6 pounds a year.

Good luck with WW. I think one of the best aspects of it is that, if you follow their rules, the plan teaches you how to live with food in the real world: birthday parties, special dinners, occasional snacks, Thanksgiving, the whole nine yards.

Hi Lynn. Welcome to 3FC.

I posted this on another thread earlier today and then wound up copying it to my blog as well. It seems to me like you still need to find a plan that will work for you ... and maybe WW isn't it. Ultimately you need a plan not only to lose weight, but a plan for the rest of your life. Because once you lose weight, you can't just go back to your old way of doing things and expect to keep off all the weight you lose.

Here's what I wrote. I hope it helps you in some way:

I don't diet.

Not only that - I don't believe in "diets". I hate the very idea of diets. I hate the concept that you can "start" eating some way and lose weight and then "stop" eating that way and expect it to all be magically ok. I hate the idea that you have to restrict yourself to be on a "diet" and that you have to suffer. I hate the idea that if you eat something you want you've "cheated" or you've "failed" or you've "fallen off the wagon".

A diet is something that ends and then you go back to your old way of life and gain weight again.

I'm also of the belief that if you deprive yourself of the things you want and the things you love, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Because eventually you're going to FEEL deprived, and then you're going to give up and say "to **** with it".

The only thing that really works, long term, is to make a permanent change in your life - to the way you eat, the way you exercise, and your entire mindset/outlook on your health. Anything else is just, IMO, a temporary fix and will collapse as soon as you go "off" your diet.

For me that means calorie counting, eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods as much as possible, and exercise. I try to stay within a range of calories (1500 +/-). I eat whole foods and natural foods. I avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible. I try to exercise every day - although only maybe 4-5 days a week is actually going to the gym and exercising. Other days I try to exercise at home or by getting out and being active.

Even more: I am not forbidden to eat anything. I eat for life. And in my life there are going to be french fries. There are going to be dinners at the Mexican restaurant with chips and queso. There are going to be birthday cakes. There are going to be office events with bagels and donuts and muffins. That's life.

That means that I look at the calories I've consumed for the day and I see if I can have a brownie. If I can, I do. Or even 1/2 a brownie. And I enjoy it. If I can't have one tonight, I make room in my calories for one tomorrow - maybe for a morning snack. And then I have something to look forward to. Really, one brownie? One brownie is about 180 calories. Most people can fit that in as a snack if they really really really want it.

I honestly and truly believe that diets don't work. What works is creating a lifestyle that's conducive to being healthy and active. I have made significant changes in my life over the last 2 years; in what I eat, in the way I eat, in the amount of exercise I get. And there is nothing in my mind that says "I'm on a diet" ... because I'm not. I'm just eating what I eat.

And doing so has allowed me to lose 75 pounds and keep it off for nearly 2 years now.

.

Thanks to all of you for your input.

Your posts makes me realize that I really need to think and plan what will work for me forever. I am going to stick with WW as you all have indicated, I need to learn how to incorporate the things that I love without over doing it. I also am going to increase my activity as I do believe that will help keep things under control.

Thanks again - and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.

Hi. I know how you feel about not being able to stick to it! I've been good for about a week and then I get a little overtired or something stressfull happens and BAM I've fallen off the wagon. Eat til I'm sick. Seems like a good plan at the time. But afterwords, the only thing healthy you can do is accept that you had a rough patch, tell yourself it's okay, and then climb back into the wagon. It does more harm than good to worry about mistakes. In my experience it brings about more of them! The longer you spend following the rules, the easier it gets. And never ever beat yourself up about slip-ups. Life happens to all of us. The only way to be really happy is to love yourself, and you are totally worth every ounce of love you can give .

KatC-
Thanks for a nice response. I find when I am overly tired I really seem to overeat - so I am increasing my activity to hopefully increase my energy.
Take care & thanks again!
Lynn

You'll figure out what works for you , I can tell you can do it

Just remember that it's OK to take a while to get it right. You're human, just like the rest of us. I've been doing this since April, and I'm still tweaking and still learning. Sometimes more than tweaking.

I'm with you! I have been on again and off again so many times and I am feeling blue about it.
I am going to "coast" a bit until after next weekend, I have to admit, but I am gearing up for a Dec. 29th re-start. I'm not a big New Year's person so no plans for celebrating. I've got holiday gatherings all the way through next Sunday though and I think I am just going to give in to eating what I want and then get back to work on all of this.
I hope to get back here regularly on 3FC and find some new buddies. Seems like the old crowd that I was always here with has just disappeared. I need support and courage.

I am excited to get with the new program. I am increasing my activity and doing better with it - but still eating a lot of junk. I, too, want to get through the holidays.
Let's keep in touch!